


scars are our only connection (maybe we can change that)

by orangeORmango



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, i dont even know anymore, look at what i am reduced to, this makes me wish i had a soulmate, what has happened to my life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-27 14:17:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16704040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangeORmango/pseuds/orangeORmango
Summary: Choni soulmate AU where scars that you have appear on your soulmate's body.





	1. Scars

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from Pinterest.

TONI POV  
Toni was pumping her fist in the air, taunting Sweet Pea, who was a couple yards behind her. She sped along the winding road, flicking the throttle. Fourteen year old Toni underestimated the angle of the road. The wheels of the bike slid out from underneath her. Nothing was in slow motion like in the movies. Everything was an incomprehensible blur as she crashed. Her brain had seemingly slowed, she could only register pain. It felt like she was on fire. A haze formed in front of her eyes, things slid in out of focus. Voices were distorted beyond recognition.  
“Toni? Toni! It’s okay, we’ve called 9-1-1!” Someone shouted. No! Why did they call the police? They would be arrested. It had been drilled into her head at a very young age. Don’t trust the police. There’s always an alternative solution.  
“Tiny, you gotta hang on. You can’t leave us. You can’t!” Another voice sobbed. Toni struggled to see through the fog but the pain was too much. Her body shut down and she blacked out.

 

Toni woke up in a pale white room. She was lying on a thin bed, with something on her arm. Instinctively, she tried to yank her hand free. Then she recognized it. It was an IV. Where was she? A hospital? Why was she here? What had happened?  
“Tiny?” a trembling voice asked.  
“Fangs? Sweet Pea?” Toni asked, blinking groggily. “Why am I at a hospital?” Fangs and Sweet Pea looked at each other, concerned.  
“You were in a motorcycle crash, Toni. We were racing and at the corner you…” Fangs trailed off.  
“The bike slid out from underneath you,” Sweet Pea continued what Fangs couldn’t. “You lost a lot of blood, Tiny. You’re gonna have some killer scars.”  
“Give her a mirror, Sweets.” Fangs grinned, the first time in weeks. Sweet Pea silently handed one over, his face the most serious Toni had ever seen in her entire life. It made a startlingly contrast to Fangs’ wide smile. Fearing the worst, Toni gingerly took the compact mirror that for some mysterious reason Sweet Pea had lying around. Oh. I wasn’t that bad. She had a small one over her left eye, it started at the edge of her hairline and trailed off just above her eyebrow. There were a few on her arms, they didn’t look very ugly at all.  
“There’s a ton on your back, Tiny. And on your hip.” Fangs implored. Toni lifted up the side of the hospital gown and winced. There was a lot. They started a couple inches under her shoulder blades, then trailed down and wrapped around the side of her hip, stopping just above her thigh.  
“Wow.” Toni cleared her throat. They seemed to have healed quite a bit. “Fangs? Sweets? How long have I been out?”  
“Just a few weeks, Topaz.” Sweet Pea whispered.  
“Weeks!” Toni screeched. She knew she had probably woke somebody up, but at the moment Toni didn’t care. “What happened while I was gone? For all I know, the Riverdale Reaper’s come back! It’s Riverdale for god’s sake!”  
“Nothing happened,” Sweet Pea tried to quiet Toni down. “Well, Amanda got a new piercing, on her eyebrow this time, and then her boyfriend, what’s his name? He got a tattoo of her name on his neck, but then they broke up, and then they got back together, but by then he had covered her name up.”  
“Like a freaking soap opera.” Fangs chuckled.  
“I guess,” Toni giggle weakly. Then the smile slid off her face. “Wait. What about my soulmate?”  
Sweet Pea and Fang’s face sobered up quickly. Fangs scrunched up his face and Sweet Pea ran his hands anxiously through his long hair. 

 

 

“Are you sure you have one?” Fangs replied finally.  
“Yeah, I do,” Toni defended herself. “I have bruises on my arms sometimes, and this one scar on my upper arm. I looks like they were cut with a knife or something.”  
“We’ve never talked about this.” Sweet Pea said thoughtfully. “Well that probably means they live in the Southside. Good, you don’t have to be saddled with some Northside brat.”  
“I guess.” Toni sighed, then fell asleep to Fangs and Sweet Pea murmuring softly to her. 

CHERYL POV  
Cheryl squealed. She had gotten exactly what she had asked for. She was sitting in front of the Christmas tree, long package lying in front of her. Inside of it lay a gleaming recurve bow, already strung. Underneath the tissue paper lay a cherry red bow stinger, along with a quiver filled with arrows and some string wax.  
“Thank you!” Cheryl jumped up and hugged her mother and father. Penelope smiled stiffly and gave her back a small pat. Claudius grinned squeezed her tight.  
“We’ve hired a man to teach you the basics.” Claudius told her, gesturing toward the brand-new archery equipment.  
“If you smash a single window with one of those arrows, though, it’s back to the store they go. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts.” Penelope’s voice grew more and more frigid with each word. “Jason dear, show Cheryl what you got.”  
“Video games!” Jason grinned, waving them at Cheryl. “One of them is a business management game. You create your store, and control your profit and what you pay your workers and all that!”  
“Cool, JJ.” Cheryl hugged her brother, smiling broadly while Claudius snapped a photo. It was rare moment of pure childish innocence and happiness. For a just a few minutes, they were a real family. No drugs, no missing twin brothers. Just joy. 

 

“Ouch.” Cheryl winced. The bowstring on her new recurve had snapped against her arm, creating a red mark that would eventually lead to a bruise.  
“You have to tilt your wrist slightly,” The instructor fixed the positioning of her arm. “That way you won’t hit it. You can also buy an arm guard, but you have to careful to make sure it’s tight, otherwise the string can catch the edge and drag it down your arm. Somebody I knew had to go to the hospital because it scraped the skin clean off.” Cheryl shuddered and tilted her wrist more. After about an hour, the instructor left, making sure everything was drilled in her head.  
“Don’t forget to put one foot back farther than the other!” was his parting call. What a boring man. Cheryl didn’t even remember his name.  
She sent another arrow flying down the field, hitting solidly against the hay bale. After she had shot every single one of her arrows, she walked down to the target, bristling with arrows. She leaned down to yank one out. The newly carved notch on an arrow farther up on the target caught her bicep. It tore the skin, making dark scarlet run down her arm. She cursed, dropping her arrow and putting pressure on the wound.  
“Mumsie?” Cheryl called, blood dripping from her hand. “I’ve hurt myself. Where are the Band-Aids?”  
“In the bathroom.” Penelope replied absently, flicking her newspaper.  
“Which one?” Cheryl asked, frustrated. Her mother was going to literally kill her if she got blood on the carpet. When she didn’t reply Cheryl sighed, out of patience for her cold-hearted excuse for a mother. She headed for the one by the kitchen, pulling open the cabinet above the sink. He found a box of Band-Aids in the back. She tried to remember what to do if you got a wound. Rinse it? Then put the Band-Aid on? Cheryl wasn’t sure, but she decided to wing it and pray for no infections. What a sheltered life she led.


	2. can't get her off my mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay I know I said I was going to take a break but I couldn't help myself... I'm an unhealthy little bean.

“Jason, are you nervous too?” Cheryl asked her brother as he killed the engine. They both stared at the large brick building as if they could will the school day away.   
“A little,” Jason admitted. “But I’m sure we can do great this year.” The twins took a deep breath and opened their doors, striding with fake confidence to the doors. A Blossom never shows a weakness. Not ever.  
“Yo! Jason, what is up?” Dilton Doiley slapped Jason on the back.  
“Hi, Dilton.” Jason replied politely, itching to get away from what was sure to be a long and boring conversation. Luckily, Chuck Clayton stomped up and saved Jason. Cheryl could see quite clearly that she wasn’t wanted. It was something she had learned to recognize over the years. The forlorn redhead wandered off in search of a student to terrorize. Instead, she met a certain pink-haired Serpent.   
This was someone Cheryl could admire and respect. Though the girl had a small stature, but her strength radiated out from her. Her clothes hugged her body in all the right places and her chocolate eyes were sharp and wary. Cheryl’s throat seemed to dry up like a puddle in a drought. What could she even say to her? Should she say anything? She would make a fool of herself surely. Suddenly self-conscious, she tugged at her sleeves, pulling them farther down to cover the angry scars her soulmate had given to her. She swept some of her hair to her face, concealing the thin white slash just above her eyebrow.

TONI POV  
Toni had been peering around the corridor, studying each of the students, when she saw her. She was tall and thin, her steps graceful and radiating with confidence and a don’t-mess-with-me attitude. Her long red hair look like fire in the harsh fluorescent light, and god, even though Toni had just met her she knew it would a privilege to be burned by this mysterious girl. Then her gaze swept towards Toni, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. It took a moment for her to compose her face back to a relaxed and bored look.   
“Oh no you don’t.” a female voice whispered in her ear. Toni spun around, face-to-face with the other Queen Bee of Riverdale High. “I’m Veronica Lodge. That’s Cheryl Blossom. She’s got enough baggage to slow the rotation of the earth.”  
“Toni Topaz. And I don’t need your advice on which people are girlfriend material.” Toni crossed her arms, staring back defiantly at the New York princess. Veronica shrugged and left the angry Serpent alone in the crowd. So. Her name was Cheryl Blossom. She had heard of the family. They were infamous among the rival gangs, the Ghoulies and the Serpents. The father at least, was a back-stabbing drug dealer, involved with the mysterious disappearance of twin brother who was all but forgotten.   
Before Toni could go up to the redhead that had caught her eye, the bell rang. Come on. Couldn’t it have waited just a few more minutes? Toni huffed and shuffled into her first class. The second she set foot in the door, all eyes were on her. Even when she sat down near the front, she could feel their stares boring into the back of her Serpent jacket.   
“Antoinette Topaz?” the teacher asked, sliding her glasses farther down on her nose. She was practically a walking stereotype. Quiet snickers reached Toni’s attentive ears. Privileged brats.   
“I go by Toni, miss.” Toni replied, tugging her notebook out of her backpack. The teacher gave her a disapproving glance then moved on. It took a lot of self-control for Toni to not jump up and run out of the classroom. Her hand tightened on her concealed switch blade. Ha. They didn’t even have metal detectors here.   
As the teacher droned on, a weird sensation began to form in Toni’s stomach. It made Toni slightly nauseous. The weird feeling in her stomach was like a tugging sensation, it seemed to be trying to pull her out of the door and down the corridor. The more Toni tried to ignore it, the more urgent it became. Finally, Toni gave in and walked out of the classroom.   
She let the feeling lead her all over the school. Occasionally it changed directions, like it was following a moving object. It eventually led her to a science classroom. Toni stood on the tips of her toes and peered inside.

 

Suddenly a flash of red hair and pale skin bombarded her vision. Cheryl Blossom pushed open the door, nearly hitting Toni in the face with it.   
“Oh!” Cheryl exclaimed, spotting the surprised Serpent by the door. “Um, sorry.”   
“It’s okay.” Toni mumbled back. The sensation seemed to brighten for a second, then it completely disappeared. So what did Cheryl have to do with it?   
Cheryl spun around and headed for the bathroom. When she turned, Toni could see a small white scar on her arm. Toni could barely see it since her skin was so pale. The scar curved around the sharp edge of her wrist. Just. Like. Toni’s. Oh no.

CHERYL POV

Cheryl watched as Veronica Lodge, Queen Bee #2, leaned in to the pretty girl. Cheryl’s fists tightened automatically. She stared in confusion as the tiny Serpent spun around and hissed something at Veronica. Veronica shrugged and turned on her heel and left her alone. Cheryl quickly turned away, pretending not to have seen her. She busied herself with absently pulling some books out of her locker, while really thinking about the strange interaction between Veronica and the new girl. She didn’t even know the girl’s name, yet she already found herself wondering if she was single. Cheryl shook the thought away, then noticed the bell had already rang. Cheryl yanked the rest of her stuff out of her locker and hurried to her science class.  
Along the way, Cheryl passed by the class that was just sitting down. Why did she take this route? That’s not what she meant to do. How stupid of her. Just before Cheryl left, she peered inside.   
“Antoinette Topaz?” Mrs. Paturhatch rasped.  
“I go by Toni, miss.” The pretty girl replied with a hardened edge to her voice. Mrs. Paturhatch grunted and moved on. Cheryl quickly walked away, her mind whirling. Her name was Toni. The name sounded beautiful to her. It rang in Cheryl’s ears, filling her head. She didn’t even hear the teacher’s scolding when Cheryl came in late. What was wrong with her?   
Cheryl sat down and tried to concentrate. Her mind was scattered, she couldn’t collect her thoughts. Toni’s face, her voice clouded all of her judgment and common sense. Cheryl wondered if she was going crazy. Finally Cheryl couldn’t take it. She stood up to leave. She wasn’t sure if it was to go by the class again, or use the bathroom, but she felt cold and trapped in the science room. Cheryl flung open the door, about to jog down the hall when she saw her.  
Warmth spread from her spine outwards. It chased away the cold feeling in her veins, her lungs. Cheryl felt calm and nervous at the same time. She was definitely coming down with something.  
“Oh!” Cheryl said in surprise. She vainly tried to look indifferent to Toni’s disappearance. “Um, sorry.” She cast one last glance at Toni and walked quickly away. Toni’s eyes were wide and scared, her body stiff and frozen. What had Cheryl done wrong? She tugged at her sleeves and tried to push the girl out of her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment suggestions. My brain is running out of ideas. Kudos make me happy. Ish. I hate my mental disorder.


	3. Not a chapter

Okay kids let's have a little talk. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO WRITE. My brain feels like a cat threw up in it. I am in desperate need of suggestions. Side note: What would you guys think of a dream Toni has where she's a Sea Serpent (band of pirates) and Cheryl is a siren? So like Cheryl is luring all the guys in but she's like... Ha sorry boi I'm gay! Too weird? Let me know!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate it when writers post something that's not a chapter. I'm a selfish hypocrite. I already hate myself so I guess it doesn't really matter.


	4. what is she to me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I'm back! I wanted to thank you all for responding for my annoying 'not a chapter'. Your comments helped me a lot. I spent so much time on this. I literally rewrote this four times. I'm sure it's trash. Enjoy anyways!

TONI POV

Toni stumbled backwards as soon as Cheryl rounded the corner. No. No. No. Toni lifted up her arm and squinted at the thin, pale mark that curved like a snake fang. The sensation in her stomach. The way she snapped at Veronica without thinking about it. That scar. Toni pulled up her sleeve and stared at the small one on her bicep. The one that she assumed was from a knife. It was from Cheryl, wasn’t it? Who had cut her?  
Toni felt like the walls moving, closing in on her. She needed to escape to a safe place, a place where she could cry as much as she wanted to, a place where she felt calm, a place she felt like she could be her. Unfortunately this made her think of Cheryl. Stupid witchy soulmate connection.  
Shakily, Toni got to her feet and stumbled out of the door. She didn’t bother going to get her backpack. She didn’t need that badly, anyway. Toni scrambled on her motorcycle, flicked the throttle and sped towards her favorite place if life became too much.  
Toni climbed off of her motorcycle, fixing her hair for a moment before taking the small hidden trail on the border of Fox Forest. After a few minutes of fast walking she had reached her clearing. It was small but safe, closed in on all sides by thick branches and blackberry bushes. Above her, yellow leaves swayed in the slight breeze, filtering the bright sunlight shining on the distraught girl. Toni curled up on her side and drifted off.   
_The dream world Toni found herself was foggy and misty, a place where no one could be sure of nothing, not even themselves. Everything seemed blue and gold tinted with screams of pain and flicks of switchblades in the background. Flames sparked in her vision and Toni had to cover her eyes. Then a bright fire slowly burned a clear path towards Toni, but when it reached it her it did not cause her pain, quite the opposite in fact. The light chased away the darkness, but the fire did not seem so hard to look at now. The flames and Toni made better versions of themselves. The scars still defined and visible, but the pain that caused them long forgotten._  
CHERYL POV

As soon as Cheryl rounded the corner, she collapsed against the wall, gasping for breath. Why did Toni have this effect on her? Cheryl ran a heavy hand through her flame-colored locks, bringing her knees to her chest.   
“I’m straight, anyways. It doesn’t matter.” Cheryl whispered to herself, wiping her nose. She tugged at her sleeves again, which she noticed was becoming a habit. The white fuzzy sweater decorated with bright cherries was going to be very stretched out. Cheryl stood up and slowly made her way back to class, shivering underneath her sweater.  
Cheryl for the rest of the day, even after adding another layer to her outfit, even a particularly hard Vixen’s practice Cheryl could not get warm. She tried to think of things that were warm and soft, perhaps curling up next to the fire with a book and hot cocoa, but apparently Cheryl was not in control of her mind anymore. Instead of a cheerful scene in her living room, Toni’s face appeared. Her warm eyes. Her soft looking lips. Her beautiful hair. Fragments of memories made that day flashed across her eyes, filling her up until Cheryl thought anything was possible. Momentarily.  
“So,” Jason interrupted her definitely not kid-friendly daydream, slamming his elbows on the table. “Who’s the new one who’s caught your eye? This better not be like the last time, Cheryl.”   
“God, Jason. Go away. It’s nobody.” Cheryl hissed, automatically raising her mental shields. Her need to block everyone out clouded her better judgement. Jason gave her an annoying knowing look but left her alone.

 

TONI POV

Toni sat up so quickly that the clearing around her whirled and she felt like she was about to throw up. It took her a moment to figure out where she was, but once she did she stood up and hobbled back to her motorcycle. After a few minutes of driving slowly down the narrow road, she realized it was dark outside. How long had she been out? A quick glance at her watch told her she had been asleep for nearly nine hours.   
Toni shook her head and focused on the matter at hand. By now she was _sure_ that Cheryl was her soulmate. But how could she confirm it? Did she need to? Should she tell Cheryl or let her find out on her own? What if she never found out? Toni’s mind was whirling. It was too much for a sixteen year old girl.   
Toni wished it could just all go away. Maybe she wished she was dead. Who would care anyways? It felt like she was drowning. Maybe she wanted to. She deserved it anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again kids I love you all not really! :)


	5. so there's this party...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sad but happy to finish this!

CHERYL POV

Cheryl took a deep breath as she faced the school again. Jason gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand briefly. Then he stepped out and let her be alone for a few more minutes. Toni. Toni. Toni. What could she say to her? Had she even noticed her? Of course not. Why would she do that?  
Cheryl inhaled deeply once more then slid out of the leather seat, shutting the door of the car firmly. Cheryl walked into the school with a confident smirk on her face even though inside she felt like exactly the opposite. After nearly ten minutes of not seeing a single sign of Toni, she began to become hopeful and sad at the same time. It was utterly idiotic! She had just met this girl! Cheryl shook her head and went on to her other classes.  
It was at lunch though, that Toni appeared. She was sitting with a couple other fellow Serpents, along with the descendants of the Midnight Club. Cheryl impulsively decided to go sit by her. I mean, what was the worst that could happen, right?  
“Hello, Sad Breakfast Club,” Cheryl sniffed, delicately sitting on the bench. “Serpents.”  
“You’re Cheryl Blossom, right?” a tall one asked her.  
“I might care about what you were saying if I knew who you were.” Cheryl scoffed.  
“That’s Sweet Pea,” a shorter one grinned. “I’m Fangs. Over here is Toni.”  
“Please tell me your parents didn’t give you those names.” Cheryl fought back a laugh.  
All three of them rolled their eyes and shook their heads at the same time. Cheryl figured they must get asked that a lot. How interesting. Before Cheryl could ask them anything else, Veronica spoke up.  
“Hey, everyone.” She began. “You guys are all invited to my party at Sweetwater River! Don’t be late. Don’t bring anyone else. This is supposed to be relatively small.” Cheryl was surprised Queen Bee #2 had invited her. They weren’t exactly enemies, they just didn’t have a lot to do with each other. As far as Cheryl could tell, Veronica was perfectly happy being second best. She supposed that not holding the ultimate crown gave her more freedom and flexibility with her life. She was probably invited just because she was sitting here. Oh well.  
“We’re going to be diving off of the rocks.” Betty grinned, wrapping a pastel arm around her girlfriend, who kissed her cheek. “Make sure to bring your swimsuit. No skinny dipping.”  
Cheryl was still thinking about it when Toni and her two shadows agreed. Immediately, Cheryl did too. What was wrong with her?

 

 

“So,” Jason grinned, pulling her into the car as soon as school was over. “I hear you’re going to a party. Have you cleared it with Mom and Dad yet?”  
“Shut up, Jason.” Cheryl yanked her arm away from her brother. “All we’re doing is swimming around, doing some trick dives. That’s it.”  
“Mm-hm.” Jason replied sarcastically, unconvinced. Cheryl sighed and sulked in silence.

TONI POV

Toni was rather surprised when The Veronica Lodge came over and invited all of them. She knew that Veronica was good friends with the Scooby Gang, but the fact the hospitality extended to whoever was sitting with the core four was unexpected. Not that she was complaining. She needed a break from the whole I-think-my-soulmate-is-Cheryl-Blossom-yeah-that-girl thing. So, naturally, when she said she would come and tow along Sweet Pea and Fangs, Cheryl wanted to as well. So much for her getting a break plan.  
“Sounds okay, right?” Sweet Pea asked her. “We can show off to all the Northsiders. Although they’re not as bad as everyone makes them out to be.”  
“Some of them are unbearable, though.” Fangs chimed in.  
“You do realize you sound like two idiots talking about a breed of dog or something, right?” Toni replied quickly. Fangs and Sweet Pea shared a look.  
“Well, they are Bulldogs aren’t they?” Sweet Pea grinned.  
“Yeah, and the cheerleaders are called River Vixens.” Fangs chuckled. “You know, like the fox.”  
“I am aware of this.” Toni sighed, giving up. “I can’t have one intelligent conversation with you guys.”

“So where exactly is the party? Sweetwater River is huge!” Fangs asked, taking his sunglasses off and squinting in the half-light.  
“Maybe it’s a test,” Sweet Pea replied with mock solemnity. “To see if we earn the right to go to a party hosted by the New York princess.”  
“Shut up you guys, and help me try to find it!” Toni exclaimed, irritated slapping their arms. They went back to being serious and began to hunt for any traces of the high schoolers. After a few minutes they heard music. They ran towards the source of the noise and found them all dancing underneath Sweetwater Bridge.  
“Hey guys!” Betty waved, her lips appearing to be glued to Veronica’s.  
“Kem and Collin run in here and get your juice!” Archie screamed, waving his cup of flat beer.  
“When will you learn? When will you learn? That your actions have consequences!” Reggie yelped.  
“Can I get a waffle? Can I please get a waffle?” Archie countered, throwing his cup at Reggie.  
“Um, what are they doing?” Fangs asked, eyeing the two drunk teens.  
“A vine-off, I think.” Cheryl chimed in, looking up from the cooler she was digging through. Sweet Pea and Fangs decided to join in, leaving Toni alone. Great. Just wonderful.  
It was at this moment (thanks a lot, brain) that Toni realized that wearing a bikini would expose her scars. Her and her soulmates. Oh no. Should she change? Not swim at all? Or should this be the moment that she finally let Cheryl know the truth? Unfortunately, the freedom of indecision was snatched away from her. Cheryl slipped off the towel she had wrapped around her and slid smoothly into the water.  
“Oh my god, Cheryl what happened to you?” Veronica asked in a hushed voice.  
“They’re from my soulmate.” Cheryl replied shyly, stepping in deeper.  
“Cheryl,” Toni said in a moment of true bravery. “There’s something you need to see.”  
“Really, Topaz, what is so important that-“ Cheryl trailed off when Toni pulled her shirt over her head. 

 

“Oh my god,” Veronica and Betty whispered at the same time. “You guys are soulmates.” Even Reggie, Fangs, Archie and Sweet Pea stopped their vine-off when they realized what was going on. (Poor Archie. He never got to finish his ‘Wait a Minute Mr. Postman’ vine.”)  
Cheryl opened and closed her mouth like a red-haired fish for a long moment then choked out, “Toni? We’re s-soulmates?”  
“We are,” Toni replied shakily. “I found out a few days ago and wasn’t sure how to tell you.” 

CHERYL POV

The combination of beer and just being plain getting tired of hiding made Cheryl bold and impulsive. She had been silently arguing in her head for about ten minutes. Eventually she decided she was being stupid and before she could have any second thoughts she went into the cold river.  
“Oh my god, Cheryl what happened to you?” Veronica asked in a hushed voice.  
“They’re from my soulmate.” Cheryl answered, stepping farther in the water. She didn’t know why, maybe to get away from those eyes boring into her ribs and hips. Or maybe to hide them more. Yet it felt like a huge weight was being lifted from her shoulders. She had always felt the need to hide the scars. Cheryl thought maybe it was because she was ashamed and felt undeserving to be paired with someone who had gone through and endured so much, and still found the will to live. But that reason lost its weight. She felt so light and free.  
So that was why she was so annoyed when Toni’s voice broke through her bliss. “Cheryl, there’s something you need to see.”  
“Really, Topaz what is so important that-“ Cheryl felt like she was paralyzed when she saw her matching scars. Of course. This was why she had seemed so off these past few days. Being around her had been so riveting, so confusing when she didn’t know. When she opened her mouth nothing came out. Her throat like when she first saw Toni.  
“Oh my god,” Betty and Veronica said in unison. “You guys are soulmates.” Sudden and heavy silence reigned over the group of teens. You could cut the tension and anticipation with a knife.  
“Toni?” Cheryl managed to say. “We’re s-soulmates?”  
“We are. I found out a few days ago and wasn’t sure how to tell you.” Everything was spinning, but when it stopped all the pieces she hadn’t known she was missing fell into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say middle school sucks

**Author's Note:**

> I won't be posting for a few days because my mental disorder is bothering me and Thanksgiving, but I will be back soon. :)


End file.
